Lubricating pad for flat smooth metal surfaces



Dec. 23,1969 F, s, THoMAg, JR 3,484,887

LUBRICATING PAD FOR FLAT SMOOTH METAL SURFACES Filed June 12, 1967 3,484,887 LUBRICATING PAD FOR FLAT SMOOTH METAL SURFACES Frank S. Thomas, Jr., 1715 Camden Ave., West Los Angeles, Calif. 90025 Filed June 12, 1967, Ser. No. 645,277 Int. Cl. B081) 1/00 US. Cl. 104.92 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to devices for lubrieating flat smooth metal surfaces and has a particular application to a pad for applying a microscopic layer of a silicone to the undersurface of a hand iron, thereby serving to prevent the build-up of starch upon such undersurface when the iron is being employed to press fabrics containing any starch and to provide other advantages in .jroning.

In United States PatentNo. 2,635,040, issued to the General Electric Company as assignee of Thomas J. Rasmussen, the applicant for said patent, it is disclosed that certain silicone compounds, when applied to the undersurface of a hand iron, prevent undesirable build-ups of starch on the iron surface, materially reduce the scorching of linens and cause the iron to slip over rayon fabrics with scarcely any perceptible drag of the latter. The said patent suggests coating the ironing surface by wiping the same on a cloth or paper (e.g. asbestos) pad impregnated pad with a non-thermosetting silicone, and explains that such pads, which may comprise one layer or a series of superimposed layers, may take the form of a heat-resistant cloth or paper pad impregnated with any suitable amount of a liquid silicone. The patent specification also recommends that the pad be porous and capable of absorbing the silicone in varying amounts. Among such heat resis ant pads are mentioned various materials such as asbestoscloth, glass cloth, nylon cloth, asbestos paper, etc, Also disclosed in said patent is the fact that since, in mapy instances, it has been found desirable to rest the ironing surface of the iron on the pad during ironing operations, heat resistant materials are preferably used with the non-thermosetting silicone, but other less heat resistant materials such as cotton, canvas, etc. may also be employed.

As to the amount of non-thermosetting silicone employed, the said patent explains that this may be varied within wide limits depending on the absorbing surface used and depending upon the degree of impregnation desired. The patent states: Generally, the heat-resistant, fibrous pad may contain from 1 to 50 (e.g., from 5 to 25) or more percent, by weight, thereof of the non-thermosetting silicone. I have found that an asbestos cloth pad impregnated with about percent, by weight, of a liquid methylpolysiloxane has been in continuous use for almost nine months and was still giving satisfactory results at the end of such time. (Col. 2, lines 413).

United States Patent 0 3,484,887 Patented Dec. 23, 1969 "ice Summary of the invention The present invention is directed to providing an improved pad device by which such a silicone may not only be practically applied to the surface of the iron but which conveniently packages the same for the domestic user and provides other advantages over the type of pad suggested generally by the aforementioned Rasmussen patent.

Unless a pad of the type recommended by the said patent is very large in extent of its area, stroking the iron over it on the ironing board or other supporting surface on which the pad may be disposed, is likely to cause the pad to move in the direction in which the iron is being stroked. Some; means must be provided, therefore, to anchor the pad against such lateral displacement.

Imadditionf-I have found that when a pad, which is impregnated with a silicone, is subjected to the heat of an iron resting upon it, the silicone tends to plasticize slightly and to flow downwardly so as to deposit itself upon whatever surface the pad is disposed. This suggests the desirability of providing some sort of plate-like base upon which the pad should be mounted; and to prevent the pad from moving relative to such base, the necessity of further providing means to anchor the pad to the base. It is not enough, however, merely to provide some platelike base for the pad, since the silicone, when subjected to extended heating of the pad will not. only deposit itself upon the base but migrate laterally after such deposition. Desirably then, the base should also include a peripheral wall for containing any such silicone migration.

This wall, however, should desirably not extend upwardly to where it contacts the surface of the iron since, if made of plastic, it might become soft under heat and pressure, and even scratch or otherwise mar the surface of the iron, or at least, remove therefrom the coating of silicone deposited thereon by the pad.

As for anchoring the pad to the base, it would naturally occur to a person simply to spot adhesive upon the base before laying the pad upon it. However, I have found that it is undesirable to employ at least some types of adhesive since they tend to mix, through capillary action, with the silicone in the pad and, if drawn up toward the upper surface of the pad, can cause sticking and staining problems when the iron is employed after being passed over or rested upon the pad.

I have also found that the pad itself should meet two other requirements beyond those stated in the aforementioned Rasmussen patent, namely: (1) theipad should be of a fibrous type material which also performs a mild brushing action to remove any accumulations of starch on the iron surface; and (2) the pad should be such as to resist collapse when serving as a rest for the ironat least to a point above the height of the peripheral wall. While the pad may be of any of the various materials suggested in the said Rasmussen patent, I prefer to employ for the pad a synthetic material which acts to leave only a micro-thickness of silicone film on the iron sole due to the natural absorbing of the pad during a sliding con tact of the pad with the iron sole.

As for the base itself, if it is made of plastic, it will be found to have a tendency to curl up when subjected to the heat of the iron. Some stiffening means must be provided, therefore, to prevent such curl-up of the plastic base, if that material is employed.

Other considerations bearing upon the selection of the base material are economy and resistance to breakage. Since this item is usually disposed on the ironing board or adjacent to it, it is not unusual to have it knocked inadvertently to the floor. Any base material selected should, therefore, not only be resistant to fracture through inadvertent dropping, but should be light enough so as not to injure the leg of the person doing the ironing 3 if so knocked off of the ironing board. Further, the item should be made to sell at a price preferably less than one dollar, since it would normally be purchased by lower income bracket housewives who do their own ironing.

Summary of the invention All of the foregoing considerations have been fully taken into account and the described problems solved by my invention in the preferred embodiment of which a fibrous pad, preferably of regenerated cellulose and relatively small in area, is impregnated with polymeric methyl siloxane as taught in the said Rasmussen patent and is mounted on, and adhered to, a medium impact polystyrene plate-like receptacle, the latter being substantially coextensive in shape and dimension to the shape and dimension of the pad, but being provided with a peripheral wall extending upwardly around the edges of the pad partially to contain the same. The height of the wall, however, is less than the thickness of the pad in its state as compressed by the pressure of an iron resting upon it. In addition, small pointed anchoring means are provided upon the underside of the plate, such means serving to press into the padding of an ironing board to prevent the plate and pad mounted therein from being laterally displaced when the pad is stroked by the iron.

Brief description of the drawing In the accompanying drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pad device constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and shows in dotted lines a fiatiron of the type with which the pad device is intended to be used;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the pad device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view looking in the direction of the arrows in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 illustrates the manner in which the floor of the receptacle is temporarily softened to secure certain areas of the pad.

Description of the preferred embodiment of the invention Referring to the drawings, the preferred embodiment of the present invention may be seen to be comprised of a fibrous pad mounted in the plastic plate-like receptacle 12. The configuration and size of the pad 10 desirably correspond to the ironing surface of the fiatiron -14 with which the pad 10 is intended to be employed. Receptacle 12 is of a similar configuration to that of pad 10, but slightly larger in extent and includes a peripheral wall 16 which extends completely around the perimeter of the plate-like receptacle 12, to define with the floor 18 of the receptacle 12, a shallow cavity adapted to receive the pad 10. The height of the Wall 16 is substantially less than the normal thickness of the pad 10, and should still be less than the pad thickness when the pad 10 is compressed by the pressure of the heated iron resting upon it. This relationship of the wall height to the pad thickness is important because at no time should the pressing surface of the fiatiron touch or even be in very close proximity to the top of the wall 16 of the platelike receptacle 12.

The receptacle 12 may be molded of medium impact polystyrene to a thickness of .0625" with a wall height of .090" extending above the floor 18 of the receptacle 12. Desirably the mold in which the receptacle is formed should include a series of small cavities to produce on the underside of the receptacle 12, the conical pinnacles or spikes 20 which serve to embed themselves in the padding on the ironing board and thereby prevent the receptacle and its pad from being moved relative to the ironing board when the iron is stroked across the pad 10. The pinnacles or spikes 20 may be formed with a 60 degree included angle.

The pad itself is preferably made of a regenerated cellulose of a thickness of .312" and having a high strength and resistance to breakdown or collapse. The pad is impregnated by dipping it into, or otherwise applying thereto, a polymeric methyl siloxane as taught in the above-mentioned Rasmussen patent, of a viscosity of 1000 centistokes. I have found that applying approximately 79 grains of such a silicone to a pad weighing about 146 grains, produces an optimum degree of impregnation.

To mount this pad 10 in the area defined by the floor 18 and wall 16 of the plastic receptacle 12, I apply at least five drops 22 of a strong diluent or solvent for the polystyrene, such as methyl ethyl ketone. This application of the diluent produces a softening (to the point of liquification) of the floor of the receptacle 12 in the areas 24 where the drops are applied. If the pad 10 should then be pressed into the floor of the receptacle and held until the volatile portion of the methyl ethyl ketone are dissipated, the polystyrene rehardens and does so about those fibers of the pad which have been pressed into contact with the areas where the drops were applied. By such re-hardening about the pad fibers, the latter become firmly secured to the floor of the receptacle 10.

A pad so constructed and mounted in accordance with the present invention accomplishes simultaneously a number of most desirable objects:

In the first place, the item may be manufactured and assembled most economically since general purpose medium impact polystyrene is employed as the receptacle.

Secondly, the peripheral wall not only serves to contain the silicone against migration outwardly onto the ironing board, but it also acts as a stiffening rib which prevents the fiat polystyrene element from warping or curling when it is subjected to the heat of the fiatiron when placed upon or brushed over the pad.

Thirdly, the pinnacles or spikes prevent the entire pad and receptacle combination from moving across the ironing board with the stroking of the pad with the fiatiron.

Further, since no adhesive is employed to secure the pad to the floor of the receptacle, any problem of intermingling of adhesive with the silicone is obviated.

Lastly, the pad itself is conveniently and securely mounted and serves not only to apply silicone to the under and pressing surface of the iron, but also to brush from the iron any starch which may have accumulated on such surface through use of the iron in pressing fabrics having any starch content.

I claim:

1. A device for lubricating a heated flat smooth metal surface, said device comprising:

(A) a fibrous pad, said pad (i) being of a predetermined thickness and having resistance to collapse upon the application of pressure thereto,

(ii) having a predetermined configuration, and

(iii) being impregnated with silicone; and

(B) a pad receptacle, said receptacle (i) being molded of medium impact polystyrene and formed with a flat bottom portion of a configuration corresponding to the said predetermined configuration of the pad, but with area dimensions slightly exceeding the area dimensions of said pad;

(ii) having a peripheral wall integral with said bottom portion, said wall extending substantially normal to and from said bottom portion, said wall being a height less than the predetermined thickness of said pad when compressed by the application of pressure thereto by said metal surface; and

(iii) being provided with means to secure said pad against lateral displacement relative to said pad receptacle, said means being disposed within the portions of the said receptacle in contact with said fibrous pad; and said pad being constituted of regenerated cellulose and being secured to the bottom portion of the receptacle by the rehardening of the polystyrene following the application thereto of small quantities of a polystyrene solvent. 2. A device for lubricating a heated flat smooth metal surface, said device comprising:

(A) a fibrous pad, said pad (i) being of a predetermined thickness and having resistance to collapse upon the application of pressure thereto;

(ii) having a predetermined configuration; and

(iii) being impregnated with silicone; and

(B) a pad receptacle, said receptacle (i) being molded of medium impact polystyrene and formed with a fiat bottom portion of a configuration corresponding to the said predetermined configuration of the pad, but with area dimensions slightly exceeding the area dimensions of said pad;

(ii) having a peripheral wall integral with said bottom portion, said wall extending substantially normal to and from said bottom portion, said Wall being a height less than the predetermined thickness of said pad when compressed by the application of pressure thereto by said metal surface;

(iii) being provided with means to secure said pad against lateral displacement relative to said pad receptacle, said means being disposed within the portions of the said receptacle in contact with said fibrous pad; and

(iv) the underside of the receptacle being further molded with a plurality of small downwardly pointed conical spikes which serve to inhibit lateral movement of the pad receptacle relative to a padded surface upon which it may be disposed.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 586,985 7/1897 Woisard 118-271 898,180 9/1908 Bromund 118-271 1,455,484 5/1923 Grenda 118-271 2,635,040 4/ 1953 Rasmussen 38-144 20 WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner ROBERT I. SMITH, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 38-141; 118-271 

